The marble floors under her boot heels caused an echo to sound through the mostly empty hall. Along the walls were paintings of previous leaders of their Clan, her ancestors going back to the beginning of it all. She bowed her head at the two guards in front of her father’s office doors. They pushed open the thick, dark wooden doors for her. She could remember the day they were put into place, the bright silver in the middle of them, and she always thought it was ironic with how much silver a werewolf would have to go through to get to the office in the first place. The doors closing behind her almost boomed as they locked into place.

             The office around her was one she was familiar with. Growing up she spent most of her time here that wasn’t used for training or her studies. Her father was sitting on his desk chair, but he had the back of it turned towards the door as he gazed out of the huge windows behind him. The early afternoon sun was bright and warm in the sky, the hills to the west beautiful, and the forest to the East ominous. “You summoned me, Father.” She calmly spoke, loud enough to be heard, but soft enough to show respect.

             “Ah yes,” He didn’t turn toward her right away, taking the time to stare out the window for a long few moments before the chair slowly twisted around. He gave her a small smile and tapped on the manila folder on the desk in front of him with his fingertips. “I have a target for you. From what I understand he’s the last of the Lee line.”

             “The Great Lees?” Junghee asked, unconvinced as she pulled the folder over to begin looking through it. There was no picture, but a list of attributes and known sightings.

             “Mhmm. The same ones that were the reason this clan was founded oh so many years ago.” Her father leaned back in his chair and asked, “Do you think you can handle this, Junghee?”

             “There is less in here than any other file you’ve ever given out.” Junghee sighed before the folder was snapped closed. “Do I have a deadline?”

             “The full moon is coming up in a few days. Finding him before then would be most beneficial.” He leaned forward to rest on the desk by his elbows. “If he is the last Lee, he’s going to be far stronger than any you’ve encountered before. Ancient bloodlines are powerful things, and the closer to the full moon the more strength he will have.”

             “Understood.” She bowed slightly at the waist. “Consider it dealt with.”

             Before she could walk through the opening doors again her father firmly stated, “Be careful. You’re my only child, Junghee.”

             She flashed a smile over her shoulder, “I will return successful, Father.”

             The sound of her boots hitting the floors was somewhat soothing to her. She had a target, a purpose you might say, and she lived for the thrill of the hunt. A Lee heir no less. Her fingers were almost shaking she was so excited for this. She knew she had her work cut out for her. First things first she had to locate him and with what little information in the file in her hands she headed to the grand library to research. Maybe something in the old Lee records matched a location on her list. It was at least a starting point.

—–--

             The volume she was looking for was as far back in the library’s reference section that the light almost didn’t reach it. She pulled it from the shelf carefully and placed it on the table before turning to the left to look for the maps she needed. Once she found the right one she scooped up the book and headed toward her chambers.

             She headed into her study. The book was laid at one end and she went to spread the map along the other. Push pins were pressed into the corners and she smiled, pleased, at how flat it was. The map showed the entirety of their countries borders. From the Sea in the West, the deep forest in the East and the snow-covered peaks in the Northern and Southern mountain ranges.  The signature on the bottom showed how recent the map was.

             When the book was opened dust billowed out into the air, causing her to sneeze harshly. “Oh, gross.”

—–--

             Her hair was down, damp and slightly curling as it dried. She twisted it almost nervously as she looked over the huge book volume laid out in front of her. As she worked through the book the handwriting had changed, different people through the ages writing pack locations and death records for members of the Lee line. Junghee hadn’t acknowledged his presence yet, but Kibum knew she had sensed him standing in her room doorway.

             “I heard you got a new assignment, Junghee.” He softly stated, staying where he was for he hadn’t been invited in yet. “Hunting the last Lee, huh? Quite a big job for such a tiny hunter.”

             “Shut up, Kibum.” She grumbled as she stood up to check the huge back she had rolled out on the other end of the table. “You know I’m the best tracker the Clan has. And I’ve kicked your numerous times.”

             “I do know that.” He smiled warmly, head against the doorframe as he gazed at her. “You’re far prettier like this than with that scowl you have permanently etched into your face as you walk through these halls.”

             “I’m small. I have to look intimidating somehow.” She commented, brow furrowed as he reached over the table to push a pin into the map. Once finished she finally looked up at him, “Are you going to come in? You’re letting the heat from the fireplace out.”

             He chuckled quietly as he stepped away, allowing the thick door to slowly close behind him. “I didn’t come to tease you. Only to offer my help in your assignment.”

             “Thank you, but I can handle this.”

             “Junghee-”

             She went back to the book to pick up her pad of paper with coordinates before heading to the map again. “My assignment is to track and kill one werewolf. We go on solo missions all the time.”

             “None of those missions had a target as the last remaining heir of the most powerful bloodline in our Clan’s history Junghee.” Kibum frowned as she continued working. “Will you pause for a moment and pay attention?”

             With a sigh, she reluctantly looked up at him. “You’ve never shown this much worry over my well being before Kibum.”

             “I have, just not to your face.” He admitted quietly. “You are to be my wife, Junghee. That ring on your finger means we are supposed to be a team. It might have been arranged, but that doesn’t mean I do not care and worry over you. Let me help you.”

             “You don’t understand Kibum,” She crossed her arms on the back of the tall chair and leaned her chin on them as she gazed over at him. “If I let you help me I’m just a woman who can’t do her job properly. It’s different for me, for the women hunters of our Clan, but especially for me. I’m the only child of our leader. I have so much pressure to be what a son should have been to the eyes of our people. I have to do double what you do to get the same things. The same respect… I must do this on my own for when we are married and we take over this Clan, we will co-lead. I am not becoming what my mother was. Children and motherhood will not define me.”

             “I never expected it to.” He looked down at the table for a moment before looking at her again. “Just… by careful. Don’t underestimate him once you find him. He may be the last Lee and his connection to the ancient powerful werewolves of his ancestors may be watered down, but there are too many unknowns to consider him a low-level threat.”

             “I won’t.” She sent him a tired smile, pushing her hair behind her ear as she looked up at him softly. “But since you came all the way here, would you like to help me figure out how all these locations connect?”

             “I’d love to.” He slipped off his leather jacket, placed it on a chair and headed to the other end of the table. “What do the colors mean?”

             “Basically the known locations of past Lees are almost everywhere. I’ve marked known pack locations with blue, death locations where our clan killed them are in red.”

             “And the white?”

             Rumored sightings of strong werewolves in the last 6 moon cycles.”

             “How did you define what strong was compared to weak?” He softly asked, leaning on his hands as his eyes flicked over the map.

             “Damage reported.” Junghee hummed but smiled easily as she nudged him with her shoulder. “Hey, you’re blocking my light buddy.”

             “Oh,” He rose his arm, bent at the elbow, and placed it on her head with a smile. “I thought you were an armrest.”

             He groaned when her elbow landed in his stomach. “Shut up.”

             When she abruptly walked away from the table without a word and returned with a ball of black yarn he rose his eyebrow. She began connecting the pins carefully, depending on their color, searching for a place where the lines overlapped. He smiled, intrigued. “Interesting approach.”

             “It was getting hard to distinguish it all.” She tossed the yarn down the table after using the knife on Kibum’s hip to cut it.

             “Why do you have a ball of yarn?” He curiously asked.

             “I knit remember?” She mumbled, not really paying attention to him. Then her eyes lit up as she breathed out. “I think I got it.”

             “Where?”

             “East woods.” She grabbed a pin, yellow in color and pushed it in at the location. “3 out of 6 sightings were there and the past pack locations and the killings cross there the most.”

             “Are you sure?” Kibum asked, eyes moving quickly to process her route of thinking.

             She beamed, laughing a little as she looked up at him. “Positive. He’ll be in the East Woods.” When she jumped to hug him Kibum froze for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and adjusting his height to hers. She withdrew a moment later to figure out the best path in to cover the most ground while tracking, but he couldn’t hear anything besides the blood rushing past his ears. “I have to get ready and-”

             “Wait.” Kibum ran his tongue over his bottom lip nervously. “How about we just... Hang out for a while. I’ll help you get ready tomorrow morning.”

             “Hang out?” She rose an eyebrow at him, “What do you have in mind?”

             “We could stay here, listen to music or we could go spar I just…” His voice trailed off for a moment before he gave a little smile. “I wish to spend time with you for other reasons than an assignment Junghee.”

             She softened, “Alright. My night is yours Kibum.”

—–--

The following night

             The dagger hilts were cool in her hands as she pressed against the thick tree, eyes sliding close as she used her heightened hearing to sense where her target was. She had been right about the East Woods, the wreckage along the path she tracked the werewolf down told her just how big he was. Just as the huge clawed paw slammed into the tree she ducked and stabbed her knife into the Beast’s thigh. He howled as his flesh sizzled from the silver, but as he swatted her away to slam into a tree across the way, she realized the knife wound didn’t decrease his strength as it should have. She grimaced as she pushed up on her elbow, glancing over at him. He was massive, dark fur around his body and yellow eyes bright in the dark. He growled as he watched her stand up, large teeth glinting in the moonlight filtering in through the treetops. He was by far the biggest she had ever see. The moist ground concaved easily under his feet, his growling intensifying.

             Her blood was rushing past her ears as she calculated her next move, but before she could make a decision he was charging her. Usually, werewolves were strong but easily knocked off balance in the haze of anger and hunger. Shifting was violent and altered their motor reflexes, but this one was sure on his feet and in his movements. She felt sharp pains in her sides and she knew her ribs were probably broken, or at least, bruised.

             She pulled out her sword from her hip as he got closer, ducking under his arm and slicing his stomach and chest. Any hope and feeling of accomplishment drained from her as quickly as it came as she watched in horror as the wound began to heal over to stop the bleeding. All it seemed to do was make him angry. The silver was poison to werewolves. She knew no matter how powerful that silver would cause them some type of harm. It all turned into a blur as he charged her in a frenzy. She fought her hardest to keep him down, but he grabbed her around the neck, claws cutting into her back as his other gripped around her. The last she saw was him, blurry in the distance, as she was tossed to the ground.

—---

             The pain in her head was some of the worst pain she had experienced. It throbbed harshly as she squinted, trying to take in her surroundings. There was something under her head and by the heavy weight over her body, she assumed she was covered with something. For a moment she thought she might be at home in her bed, but then her other senses came to. There was the sound of water dripped, the wind blowing off to her right was whistling almost, and when she moved her hand to her right she quickly withdrew it from the cold, hard texture she felt.

             She turned toward the light, groaning for a moment at the brightness. She realized then she was in a cave of some sort. Her things were placed near her, clothes neatly folded and it came to her that she was bare of anything but her tank top. A deep sigh reached her ears and her eyes quickly found the other being in the cave with her.

             He was sitting on a huge rock near the entrance. His hair was long and messy but pulled back from his face. There was a loose shirt on his frame and tight black pants, but his feet were bare. She could see faintly healed scars on his upper chest and face, and there was a cloth tied tightly around his thigh. For a moment she believed him to be someone who helped her from the beast, but the open wound was where she first landed a blow on the werewolf. She rushed to find a weapon but froze when he spoke, “I apologize for putting up a fight last night. You’re more than welcome to finish your assignment. I won’t fight you now.”

             “Why did you stay?” She carefully asked, shifting to sit up, dagger in her lap. “When you know I was sent to kill you?”

             He wasn’t looking toward her, instead gazing out of the cave. “I had to make sure my bite and claw marks didn’t turn you.”

             She slowly looked down. Lifting her shirt a little to see bandages wrapped around her. Softening a little, she realized all of her wounds had been taken care of. Even her bruised ribs were less painful. “You’re really okay with being killed?”

             It was then he looked over and his eyes were warm and gentle, completely different than the angry, yellow eyes of last night. “You and your people aren’t the only ones who believe mine are monsters.”

             The crossbow she had hidden in the woods was placed near her, the quiver of bolts lain against the wall. She could load it and complete her assignment, but just as her fingers were brushing the metal of the weapon guilt crashed into her. She withdrew her fingers and looks at her lap. “Thank you for saving me and treating my wounds. I cannot kill you after that.”

             He smiled slightly, a tiny quirk of his lips. “There’s a vial near you. It will help the pain in your ribs. I don’t have access to my medications.” He stood, moving to leave. He was limping heavily off his hurt leg. He stopped when he heard her voice.

             “Until we meet again.”

             He laughed, soft and warm, causing her to question how one could turn into the massive beast the night before. “I will make sure to not be shifted to meet your clan, Miss.”

             Once he left, she slowly worked on getting dressed. She contemplated taking the vial when the pain in her ribs became too much, but she decided against it. Her boots were pulled on, her weapons placed in their holsters along her, and crossbow picked up. She rolled up the bedroll but laid the blanket over her shoulders. The cool temperatures were making her shiver. The vial was picked up, for she planned to have it tested at headquarters,

             Kibum was surely going to kill her.

—----